Augusta Health named one of 50 best hospitals in U.S.

Augusta Health has received the Healthgrades 2017 America’s 50 Best Hospitals Award™.

This is the third consecutive year that Augusta Health has been awarded this recognition for clinical quality; it had been recognized as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for the three consecutive years prior to being named a 50 Best Hospital.  The recognition means Augusta Health is among the top 1% of more than 4,500 hospitals nationwide for its consistent, year-over-year superior clinical performance as measured by Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals.

The America’s 50 Best Hospitals Award was presented to Augusta Health physicians and staff on Thursday, April 13 during the quarterly Values Celebration.

“Because this award recognizes overall clinical excellence, it is a great reflection of the care that our medical staff, employees and volunteers provide to the community.  It demonstrates more than expertise; it represents the teamwork and professionalism required to deliver that care.   The professional team, including the physicians, nurses, technicians and support personnel, are very visible to patients and families.  But there are also hundreds of other employees who are not always noticed—those in environmental services, nutrition services, maintenance, human resources, registration, billing and every department here—and we all work together to provide our patients with the best outcomes,” said Mary N. Mannix, FACHE, President and CEO of Augusta Health.  “It’s very significant that in order to be recognized as a 50 Best Hospital, an organization must first be recognized as a Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence for six years.  Augusta Health has now achieved the 50 Best recognition for three consecutive years.  That’s almost a decade of demonstrated, measurable, validated high quality care.  I am incredibly proud to work with the entire Augusta team every day, those that serve from the front line to the back office.  I am also reassured, as a member of this community who receives my care at Augusta Health, to know this is the team that is providing care to me and my family every day.”

According to Healthgrades analysis, from 2013 through 2015, patients treated in hospitals that achieved the America’s 50 Best Hospitals recognition have, on average, had a 26.1% lower risk of dying than if they were treated in hospitals that did not received the award, as measured across 19 rated conditions and procedures where mortality is the outcome.

“Our analysis shows that there is a tremendous variation in clinical outcomes across hospitals, so we commend the recipients of the America’s 50 Best Hospitals Award™ for delivering exceptional quality care to their patients,” said Brad Bowman, chief medical officer, Healthgrades.  “As consumers take a more active role in managing their own health, they can have confidence that hospitals that have achieved the America’s 50 Best Hospitals Award™ stand above the rest.”

The 50 recipients of the America’s 50 Best Hospitals Award™ are distinguished for overall clinical excellence across a broad spectrum of care. During the 2017 study period (2013-2015), these hospitals showed superior performance in clinical outcomes for patients in the Medicare population across at least 21 of 32 of the most common inpatient conditions and procedures —as measured by objective performance data (risk-adjusted mortality and in-hospital complications). To learn more about how Healthgrades determines America’s 50 Best Hospitals Award ™ recipients, please visit www.healthgrades.com/quality.

Augusta Health is an independent, community-owned, not-for-profit hospital whose mission is to promote the health and well-being of its community through access to excellent care.  Named one of the 100 Top Hospitals in America by Thomson Reuters/Truven in both 2011 and 2012, Augusta Health has also been nationally recognized by HealthGrades as one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals for clinical excellence and patient safety for three consecutive years.  For more information about Augusta Health, its programs or its services, please visit the website, www.augustahealth.com.